Yake rakes and gives Cedar Rapids Kernels an extra-inning victory

CEDAR RAPIDS — He doesn’t play a whole lot for the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

Ernie Yake’s role is being a utility guy. He can play defensively around the infield and perhaps some left field, spelling players who might need a day off or something.

The 25-year-old former Gonzaga University player has spent some time on the Development List, where a team takes him off the active roster but keeps him around working out and practicing with the team. He was an emergency call-up to Triple-A Saint Paul for a handful of days last month to help out with a Saints roster that had a lot of injuries.

Basically, he’s an organizational soldier who goes here and there, plays just about everywhere. It ain’t easy.

Which had to make Yake’s heroics in C.R.’s 6-5, 12-inning win Thursday night over South Bend at Veterans Memorial Stadium feel oh, so very special to him. Yake entered in the 11th inning as a pinch runner and scored a run that extended the game.

Then when he got a chance to bat in the 12th, he lined a 97 mile-per-hour fastball from South Bend relief pitcher Eduarniel Nunez through the right-side hole and into right field to score Noah Miller with the winning run.

“I’m one of the older guys on this team, and I’ve had a lot of opportunities in that situation,” Yake said. “So it’s just sticking to that approach, slowing it down, taking deep breaths, staying calm, controlling what you can control.”

Yake worked a 3-0 count, took a fastball, then knew another one was coming on 3-1. He didn’t miss it.

“Ernie has been awesome for us all year,” Dinkelman said. “Limited playing time, but when he gets his chances, he does well and gives us good at-bats. He can play multiple positions. To get up there with two outs and win a ballgame in 12 innings, that’s pretty good.”

The win moved the Kernels to a season-best 10 games over .500 at 35-25. They have won the first three games of this important late first-half series against what had been their nearest pursuer in the Midwest League’s Western Division.

The Kernels now have a five-game lead on second-place Peoria with six games remaining in the first half. Quad Cities is 5 1/2 games back and South Bend six. Since Cedar Rapids owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over all of those teams, the magic number is 1.

The Kernels and Cubs play again Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

“We put a lot of time into the game of baseball,” Yake said. “We’re here at least five hours before the game, so we’re working all the time, not just during the game. Being in first place, hopefully clinching a playoff spot means a lot to us.”’

By the way, Yake was asked what his short time in Triple-A was like.

“It’s different up there,” he said. “A lot of the guys up there are former big leaguers, so you’re playing against guys you’ve seen on TV. It’s a good learning experience, talking to those guys, seeing how they go about things. It was pretty exciting up there.”

And pretty exciting down here Thursday night.

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